iN FiVE YEARS: FATHER FiGURE PART-FOUR4
by yoursuperheroisshowing
Summary: Pairings: Chalant and Spitfire Summary: If you haven't read PART-ONE1, start with that and work your way up. Y'all enjoy!


**NORTH BYALiA**

**9:36 P.M**

Tearing himself away from the ultra-violence between Artemis and her bastard of a father was unbearable. The sounds of her wretched screams and ear-blasting demolition reaching Kid Flash's ears wasn't making it any easier as his feet lead him farther and farther away.

Fortunately for the Team, he snapped into his 'better judgment'.

He was her teammate. Not her _friend_. He kept going.

"_Why does Sportsmaster want _me_?"_

The thought was a stray contemplation. It grew, warping his curiosity into a kind of anxiety. As he toyed with it in his mind. He became distracted.

All of the towers of crates looked the same. Same gray walls, boxes stacked up to the ceilings. Before he knew it, he became stranded in a labyrinth of metal cargo shipments, sense of direction lost. Had Miss Martian already completed the planting of the bombs? Suddenly it occurred to him that they were no longer linked up, no way of knowing when to retreat.

"Miss Martian?!" he screamed out.

Scary moments passed. A cold breeze then caught his attention. The air around him suddenly shifted, then sprouted solid colors.

"_I'm here. We're all online."_

"_Did you plant the bombs? Artemis is taking on Sportsmaster and- it's go time."_

"_They're set all around the building. The problem is they go off at different times so we need to evacuate-"_

The ground below him buckled in a bursting jolt, and he was air-born; flying through the flames as hot dust and wood pulp itched at his lungs. Kicking his legs frantically around in search of the floor or any form of support, nothing was visible in this cloud of smoke he was captured in. The shrill shrieking of Miss Martian's order to retreat was loud and clear in his head.

Then came the exploding pain of landing; a split second of revolting agony. The collision was nothing less than a hit of an incoming train at full speed.

There was a sound…

At first he thought the ringing was coming from his head, his skull fighting off effects of a concussion. Then he took notice of an intense sting coming from the southern part of his body. Blood spilled in a gushing mess from his leg.

The only part of his body that had taken on the impact was his lower limbs. Something else was making that noise.

**MOUNT JUSTiCE**

**MAY 28TH 4:21 A.M**

Artemis and Kid Flash tore off their masks as the zeta transported them into the Cave. It opened, and everyone trudged out. Accomplishment was the last things on their minds.

"Good-night guys" Miss Martian said, flying off to her room. Wally and Superboy were the only ones to half-heartily reply. Meanwhile, no one noticed Kaldur silently slip into the shadows to a more private part of the Cave, retreating to wait for Batman's arrival for a recap of their mission.

He was drenched in the past, along with Superboy and Wally.

Artemis and Wally made their way to the kitchen. Wally limped, the bandages he had applied to himself on the bioship halting the easy movements of his ligaments. Artemis had shaken out her ponytail, massaging her temples. As he rummaged noisily through the refrigerator, she propped herself up on the counter and grabbed a water bottle for herself. She then reached for another one and tossed toward the refrigerator.

"Catch."

His quick reflexes took hold of the incoming water bottle. "Thanks." He leaned against the cabinets.

"Sure." Her voice was gruff and worn. Parallel to each other, they drank up in silence.

There was so much to be said on her behalf. But he knew, ever since they had begun their retreat, she had been focusing on burying her father beneath memories till he was nothing more than a black speck of dust; a nothing that could do her no more damage as she sat here in this kitchen. That's what she hoped. By instinct, she resisted parting her lips, speaking her thoughts and letting anyone in.

Yet those cold eyes held something new. Rather than sharp, threatening icicles he was used to, it was little innocent snowflakes, lightly frosting away any show of emotion. But he had seen that look somewhere.

Somewhere…

Robin sometimes took his mask off around his best friend.

And that was why Wally couldn't resist keeping his mouth shut. He practically _knew_ what she was thinking.

Lowering the bottle, he sighed. "You wanna talk?"

This was no excuse for her to speak. Stabbing him sharply with her eyes, she glowered at his. "About?"

"Artemis, I'm not as stupid as you think I am." He braced himself for a full-out scream from her. "Just…don't let him get to you." Instead, she surrendered. There had been enough fighting done for the day.

"What do you know?" Artemis growled, sliding off the counter in a hurry. Her gold hair flew behind her as she took off. That was the last that he saw of her.

She left against her will. _Of course_ she wanted to open her mouth- say anything at all and collapse into the arms of anybody who cared listen. But in her reality, no one wanted to hear about her feelings. She was invincible, bullet-proof. There was no one she could trust.

Because that's what she had learned in life.

Wally watched her leave. "That you're not as intolerant as you think you are." He wasn't angry, he understood. In fact, he began to feel something for her that he hadnt realized until now, when silence was the only thing acompanying him. Pity?…or was it deeper than that? He shook his head roughly, trying to faze himself out of whatever it was.

The T.V in the living room was on. It had been on, playing one of those paid programming shows.

"Supey, I prefer when you watch 'No Signal' than this crap" Wally called, annoyed at the optimistic woman on the screen selling toner. There was no response. "Come on dude. Just go to bed." Silence. He became slightly aggravated. Moving over to another angle, Wally peered at the couch. He expected to find Superboy, consciousness lost to the flat, glass screen of the television.

Now he was in front of the couch, a small, growing smile crossing his face. Wally had to cover his mouth to keep his laughing from being heard in the next room.

Like two sleeping kids, Robin and Zatanna were passed out on the couch, long-faded smiles on their lips. Their heads lay on the opposite ends as four legs intertwined in a heap in the middle. Robin's where more overlapping, suggesting a protective manner over hers as she hugged herself tightly in her sleep. They were cold. He continued grinning stupidly at the two for a moment, taking it in and making a mental note to use it against Dick in the future.

Then he came to his senses.

"Rob, wake up!" he hissed in a frantic whisper. Robin didn't bat an eye.

"Dude, don't make me do this." Silence. Not even a rustle. This guy didn't want to move.

Wally slapped the sleeping boy across the cheek. In response, and careful to not wake up Zatanna, Robin then grabbed the rubber fabric of the _Kid Flash_ suit and pulled it dangerously close to his face.

"Can I help you?" he growled silently. Wally pushed him off.

"No, you can help _you_. Bats is coming and I'm pretty sure he's not going to greet you with open arms when he sees this." Wally gestured to the couch. Despite the unnecessary ruby-red tinge on his cheek, Dick understood.

He slipped off the couch, managing to keep Zatanna asleep as she looked so peaceful. Her black hair caressed her face as her nose buried itself in. Eyelashes downcast, you could tell her dreams had taken her to far off place, whether it was evil or marvelous, you couldn't tell. Her goose bumps stood on end across her arms, being in a tank-top. Her legs lay covered up in her sweats. Before making a dart for his dorm to change into his sweaty uniform, Dick stopped short and turned back.

He hurriedly stripped off his jacket. It was a faded, old-fashion piece of clothing. Wally questioned if he had ever seen it before and… didn't he have plenty of access to _cool-looking_ name brand clothes?

"Tell her it's hers" he explained quickly. "She also left something under her pillow in her room." He slid a large black disk under his arm as he then draped the jacket over her, taking thoughtful consideration in covering her arms and everything else as warm smile had spread. Wally leaned in to check out his face in amusement.

With a quick scowl towards him, the smile vanished. Dick hurried off to change.

**NORTH BYALiA**

**MAY 27TH 9:58 P.M**

Sweat and thick debris drenched his skin. He could almost swear he was being roasted alive.

Feeling around with his hands through all the smoke, metal met his fingertips. The metal was hollow, vibrating, and ringing. This was Miss Martian's 'tube'.

Mustering up all of his remaining strength, Kid Flash hobbled, supporting himself against the tube in order to make out a size. Finally, he reached the edge. It was taller than him and a bit wider, like you could put a human inside. Kid Flash spread out his hand, expanding his search.

The texture was something flawlessly smooth. His palm-sweat stuck to it. "Plastic?" He then scratched at the surface with his nails. "Glass… _Glass_!" It was mandatory to get away, _now_. He jarred his legs awake, persisting that they not give up on him as pools of blood had gathered at the floor. Bruises and countless scratches from the thick, wood-infested, air had attacked his face and even managed to penetrate his body from inside his suit. But like any superhero knew, quitting was nonnegotiable.

He managed to move himself away as fast as he could. Exploding glass shards was not something he wanted to be close to.

"_I can't hear Artemis, why can't I hear Artemis?!"_ Miss Martian panicked.

"_Miss Martian, calm down. We are retreating to the bioship"_ Aqualad pressed.

"No_! She can't hear us! She doesn't know what's going on!"_

Because she was too involved with her current situation.

"_I've got her, Babe. Head for the ship and I'll meet you guys there!"_

The cloud had gotten thicker. He wasn't even sure if he would make it back to the bioship. As bombs went off simultaneously behind him, he fought forward. Each explosion was louder, more crude than the last as they sent anonymous objects flying around to discourage him.

But it wasn't enough. His legs weren't giving out just yet. Retracing his steps the best he could, he lurched on to where he had left Artemis.

Voices grew in more depth. He ran faster.

"No one can tolerate you, you brat!"

Then an ear-bursting crash sent Kid Flash ducking behind another 'tube'.

He shut his eyes. If this was her father… he didn't finish- there was no time. Readying himself for a final grab-and-dash, he willed his gore-infested legs to give it their all. His vision was getting clearer as the bomb outbreaks moved to the opposite side of the building. Time to go.

_English?_ The side of the tube caught his eye.

With a squint and deep breath of clearer air in preparation to bolt, he examined the pod's writing closer. It wasn't a tube. Their mission had just been completed.

PROPERTY OF CADMUS LABS

**LOOK OUT FOR iN FiVE YEARS: LONG HOT SUMMER**


End file.
